2/14/2005 @ 12:01AM

The Most Expensive Home In New Jersey

A New Jersey mansion that has hit the market at a stunning $40 million may be the most expensive in the state’s history.

The seven-and-a-half-acre estate lies in the borough of Alpine, just over the Hudson River from Manhattan. At 60,000 square feet, the spread is said to be the largest in an area known for its wealth–and its grand homes.

The property was built and is owned by a high-profile businessman who does not want to be named. As one might expect for the price, his house practically spills over with sumptuous amenities. It has 13 bedrooms, 23 bathrooms, a guesthouse and outdoor and indoor pools–the latter separated from the family room by a 2,000-gallon aquarium, says listing broker
Dennis
McCormack
Dennis McCormack
of Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty.

The Palm Beach-style facade is done in concrete stucco. Behind the house, pathways meander through the property, leading to gazebos and manmade ponds.

For entertainment, there is an arcade, an ice cream parlor and a two-lane bowling alley. The 1,000-square-foot steel-and-glass conservatory was disassembled in England and shipped over the Atlantic.

Alpine is one of the richest towns in the country. It has just one school and no commercial area, but it abounds with spanking-new mansions. The residents so value their privacy that there are no mailboxes on the homes–all letters must be picked up at the post office. But a source says that
Stevie
Wonder
Stevie Wonder
has lived in Alpine for many years. Other celebrity home owners, according to public records, are Yankees outfielder
Gary
Sheffield
Gary Sheffield
and his wife,
DeLeon
Richards
DeLeon Richards
; actor/comedian
Chris
Rock
Chris Rock
and his wife,
Malaak
Malaak
Malaak
; and hip-hop mogul
Sean
Combs
Sean Combs
, who reportedly paid more than $10 million for a 21-room mansion last year.

The owners built this house in the mid-1990s, McCormack says.

“Nothing’s sold for that kind of money in New Jersey,” says
Jack
Turpin
Jack Turpin
, owner of Turpin Realtors, another high-end New Jersey real estate firm. The record, he believes, was set by a $37.7 million property his company sold in Bedminster.

The asking price for the Alpine estate bests that for
Eddie
Murphy
Eddie Murphy
‘s 25,000-square-foot mansion in Englewood, which hit the market in December for $30 million. But it isn’t even close to what is thought to be the most expensive home sale in U.S. history. The $70 million deal for Ron Perelman’s oceanfront property in Palm Beach, Fla., topped off our list of the Most Expensive Home Sales in America 2004. Perhaps Alpine will make the 2005 roster.

Forbes Fact

Legends and rumors have long swirled around the Devil’s Tower, a stone structure in Alpine, N.J. Some say a local millionaire built it for his wife, who leapt from the top after finding her husband with another woman. Others claim that circling the tower a certain number of times will summon a ghost. The truth? The tower, formally known as Rio Vista, was built in 1910 by millionaire sugar importer
Manuel
Rionda
Manuel Rionda
. It was dedicated to his wife, who was buried on nearby land but was later moved.